After huge queues with wait times veering into multiple hours, Square Enix has responded to the issues surrounding the launch of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker. In a detailed post on the official Final Fantasy XIV website, game Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida has promised free game time to those affected by excessive login queues during the launch of Endwalker.
In the post, Yoshida stated that Square Enix would initially granting seven free days of game time to all players affected by the queues. However, with ongoing difficulties, on Dec. 16, this amount was increased to 14 days. Two weeks of game time might not satisfy everyone, but the extra days will definitely help those who feel their time was wasted in excessive queues.
The free game time will affect anyone who owns the full version of the game and has an active subscription. Additionally, this free game time will also affect those with a 30-day free trial. The additional seven days will be added to 30-day free trial players' accounts when they register a full game version. If you have multiple active accounts, it will affect every account.
What’s more, the game time may be increased if delays and queue times continue. In the post, Naoki Yoshida explained that “We may give additional free game time depending on further developments on the congestion situation.” This was the case in the Dec. 16 update, where an additional week of free game time was added.
While the date and time for the additional game time was stated to start from Dec. 21, this aligns with the release of Endwalker's first raid series. Hopefully, players who have struggled with queues will be able to access Endwalker as soon as possible, whether with their free game time or beforehand.
If you have managed to get into Endwalker, you might need a hand. Check out How and Where to start the main story of Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker on Pro Game Guides.
Michael lives in the UK, but wishes he lived in Eorzea. A life-long gamer, Four years ago, he ditched a "real" job to write about video games for a living, and hasn't looked back. When not guiding players how to get the latest mounts, crafting recipes, and in-game goodies, he spends his time nurturing an unhealthy addiction to MMOs and gacha games.